ASSISTING NATURE. — PURGATIVES. 281 



Typhus fever, common in some countries, is little 

 known here among* cattle. 



Typhoid Fever sometimes follows intense inflamma- 

 tory action, and is considered the second stage of it. 

 This form of fever is usually attended with diarrhoea. 

 It is a debilitating complaint, and is sometimes followed 

 by diseases known as black tongue, black leg, or quarter 

 evil. The cause of typhoid fever is involved in obscur- 

 ity. It may be proper to say that copious drinks of 

 oat-meal gruel, with tincture of red pepper, a diet of 

 bran, warmth to the body, and pure air, are great 

 essentials in the treatment of this disease. 



The barbarous practices of boring the horns, cutting 

 the tail, and others equally absurd, should at once and 

 forever be discarded by every farmer and dairyman. 

 Alternate heat or coldness of the horn is only a symptom 

 of this and other fevers, and has nothing to do with 

 their cause. The horns are not diseased any further 

 than a determination of blood to the head causes a 

 sympathetic heat, while an unnatural distribution of 

 blood, from exposure or other cause, may make them 

 cold. 



In all cases of this kind, if anything is done, it should 

 be an effort to assist nature to regulate the animal sys- 

 tem, by rousing the digestive organs to their natural 

 action, by a light food, or, if necessary, a mild purga- 

 tive medicine, followed by light stimulants. 



The principal purgative medicines in use for neat 

 cattle are Epsom salts, linseed-oil, and sulphur. A 

 pound of salts will ordinarily be sufficient to purge a 

 full-grown cow. 



A slight purgative drink is often very useful for 



cows soon after calving, particularly if feverish, and in 



cases of over-feeding, when the animal will often appear 



dull and feverish ; but when the surfeiting is attended 



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